Inquisition, now that we're settled in Kirkwall I come to you with two very exciting propositions. As some of you know, I taught how to climb and run the walls and battlements of Skyhold, how to fall from such heights safely but alas this was not as it was at home when Skyhold was so contained. But here we are in Kirkwall! I can truly teach you how to leap from building to building if your desire and to dive into the waters from buildings and from the rigging of a ship. Of course, we start small so as not to injure your good self but if that prospect sounds intriguing, please come find me. I am Araceli Bonaventura, at your service. I'm either working at the Gallows or by the docks or you might happen to look up.

The second is a thing to celebrate and I could say that I do it as leader of the naval projects but truly? I do it as someone who loves cooking and seafood, to finally be back by the water after so long removed from it. Tell me, Inquisition, what are your favourite seafood dishes? Your favourite meals from Antiva or Rivain or places such as that? Because I thought it might be an idea to have a cookout by the waves towards the end of the month, say, the twenty-second? Everyone is welcome if they are a fan of good food and good times among friends.

[Also it's her birthday but since they don't really do birthdays that way back home, what better thing to do than have a fun time with people that have all certainly earned it?]

Hello —

 

[ hi guys. ]

 

— Does anyone know where I am?

Inquisition, and those quite not Inquisition: ( have one, tired Ferelden-born Warden who seems to be eating something? probably apples. its apples )

I'll be putting together training exercises designed to teach the basics of mounted combat within the coming weeks. If this is something you are interested in then you are welcomed to join, if not then perhaps you can still learn something to take into the coming battles we may face in the future. No sense in learning your mount isn't fond of sharp pieces of metal, explosions and a crazed grin when they drop you on your ass while bolting in the opposite direction.

I have talent with a sword, bow and bombs but sadly lack that magic spark to be of much help there. I am sure we might think of something together, and that you mages do not accidentally scare your own mounts with your colorful displays of power.

Ah... my name is Ciri, Grey Warden. You can't miss me between the grey hair, facial scar and sharing the company of only the best horse in Thedas. Her name is Kelpie, if she likes you then I certainly hope you enjoy apples. She likes to spoil her friends.

[ The message begins with the genteel clearing of a throat and then a voice, lightly accented but unmistakably Orlesian. ]

Good evening, all. I do not believe any of us has met in the past, but my name is Frédérique Durfort-Lacapalette, Baroness Haut-Brion, but you may simply call me Freddie, or Lady Freddie if you are the type to insist upon formalities. [ Which would be an absurd thing to say to this particular group, if she'd ever knowingly met any of them before. But she has not, so enjoy laughing behind your hands at the notion. ]

I will be leading this effort to uncover more information regarding our adversary Corypheus, and I am pleased to have your assistance in this endeavor. To begin, I would like you each to introduce yourself, and to share how you came to be assigned to this project, and if you have any particular expertise you believe will be useful to achieving our ends.

And of course, ideas! Should you have any suggestions for how we ought to begin, I would like to hear them. While my research skills are of course formidable, I freely confess to knowing little about our foe in specific, and even were that not so, I believe an open exchange and discussion of ideas is essential to the development and transmission of knowledge.

I look forward to hearing from each of you!

[ There's so much space in the Gallows that there's no logical reason for everyone not to have their own room, especially grown men who are not afraid of the dark and have in fact killed thousands of the things that make the dark scary, and yet

it's sooooo quiiiiiiet. ]

Someone tell the rest of us a bedtime story.

[ Or it was quiet. Now it's not. Everyone is welcome. ]

It has not escaped my notice, despite all recent events, that I have been in Thedas for one year. [ he lets that sit for a moment. ] Thanks are in order; first to the Inquisition as a whole for their continued hospitality and second, to my own people, for their kindness. Ma serannas. I am pleased that there are elves in worlds other than Arda.

[ his tone switches as he gets into the meat of the announcement. ]

Several months ago, the Seeker and I came into possession of a key. With the events in Orlais as well as the move, we did not have a chance to use it until recently. I am seeking volunteers to travel west. The area, under Inquisition control, presents no dangers beyond local wildlife and the standard dangers of the desert, but I would advise that only those confident enough to handle themselves in combat come forward.

And, ah-- [ styled as an afterthought, but far too deliberate. ] I would like someone confident with written Elven.

Hello everyone! If you could do me a favor and not cut any of the long strands of twine you might see around the city, that would be wonderful. It's to help people get around. Myself included - lived here for years and I live for a while and can't remember where anything is!

[ Not that Merrill was very good at remembering where things were when she was in Kirkwall every day anyway, but. ]

If anyone else is having a hard time finding their way around, a ball of twine is the best way! It'll get you back to where you need to be.

Good day, to every member of the Inquisition currently helping take care of the Gallows. We've been making some amazing progress, and I'm sure that our contributions will give this place the overhaul that it desperately needs. With time, the Gallows will become a symbol of hope, rather than despair.

If I may, I'd like to take time to discuss ideas for one of those symbols. Specifically, those horrid statues that are strewn about. Now that they will...probably no longer attempt to kill us.

I've been informed that there are artisans willing to melt down the statues and create new ones to be put in their place. Additionally, our group has been given permission to choose what kind of statues would be put up there. Suffice to say, whatever we go with will make a statement about our goals here. The Inquisition is trusting us to make sure that statement is positive.

So, I would like to discuss possibilities with everyone, and see if we can get some good ideas going.

To start the ball rolling, if it's alright, I'd like to share my own proposal. Of course, this is only a suggestion, and I welcome any other voices.

I propose that we have the statues remade to represent the diverse groups within the Inquisition. Have a statue of a dwarf, another of a Dalish, another of a mage, etc, etc. It would send a message of cooperation and coexistence, and hopefully promote such in our new home.

The floor is open for further suggestions.

The long nights and short days have passed us, Inquisition, yet I believe a certain appetite remains for some tales no matter the season. Those tales a mother or father told you, an older sibling, some elder grown grey and wise, while you were tucked up in your bed at night with the fire crackling in the hearth so very very far away, your light but that of the candle reflected in their eyes. [Well, there was no such thing in the Korcari Wilds for her but just believe in it. Imagine if you will, dear listener, and let her dark crooning voice lull you off into oblivion if you dare.]

Such tales as to chill and curdle the very blood in your veins. How many tales in Ferelden are told of my mother to have a wayward child behaving or to have those older still falling in line. We turn to Kirkwall now, perhaps that is why I think of where last she was sighted - the one the Dalish know by Asha'bellanar - and all those stories of stealing babes from their beds for her cooking pot that the Chasind will believe to this very day. Indulge me, if you will Inquisition, what tales frightened you as a child? Are there those that quicken your breath still? That send you hurrying along the darkened halls when a stray draft has the candle guttering out? Are those impossible fingers at your window or are they the branches of the overgrown tree? Is it the dreadful howling of a wolf or do the werewolves lope out of the forests once again?

[Morrigan has a talent for this sort of drama, leaning very close to her sending crystal to deliver it in her best 'oh how she dances under the moon' voice, all hushed and breathy when she must, drawing out each and every pause. The last pause before she ends the message is one of consideration. Has she not left out a rather sizeable group?]

Those who come from beyond the rifts, are there such tales you learned as children? Are there those you have learned of this world? Do they compare? I shall tell you a tale of mine own if trade is required.

Right, so... [Ugh, she almost forgot how much she dislikes using these things. Keep it short and... well, "sweet" is a bit of a stretch.] Here's a question for all you other saps who got the boot from the mountain to head up northways soon.

What are some of your favorite meals?